Vegan Chocolates and Sweets for Valentine's Day

From salted caramels to coconut truffles, it's time for a round-up of some great places to find vegan chocolates and sweets this Valentine's Day. Whether you buy them for your valentine or for yourself, you will definitely want to check some of these companies out.

Feed Your Face Vegan Caramels - Vegan caramels? Oh, yes! I sampled a bunch of different flavors and they are delicious! My favorites were the sea salt, mulled apple cider, maple, eggnog, carrot cake, green tea chai…well, I liked a lot of them. They also sell really unique flavor combinations, like pomegranate balsamic.  These aren't skimpy portions, either. Each piece is big and chewy and melts in your mouth (unlike those hard caramels that stick to your teeth). I loved having a chance to try these. Be sure to check out the Etsy shop and order some as a gift or for yourself! You don't want to miss these!

Fine & Raw Chocolate - This stuff is delicious--smooth, rich, and dark without being bitter (there is the perfect amount of sweetness). They are made without refined sugar, dairy (obviously), or additives. I tried the Two Piece BonBons, the Sea Salt bar, and the Cacao & Coconut Chunky BonBon. I think the bonbons were my favorite--I loved how the firm shell enclosed a toothsome silky center. In the coconut bonbons a hint of coconut was perceptible but not overpowering. Also, extra props for fun packaging!

  

Go Max Go Vegan Candy Bars -  Go Max Go manufacturers vegan candy bars that are free of hydrogenated oils and made with “nothing artificial.” That said, they contain palm oil, corn syrup, and other things which I consider less than ideal. But… everyone needs a treat once in a while, and these are certainly a delicious alternative to most candy bars out there! The peanut butter cups were probably my favorite thing that I tried. I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter but I found the filling to be a little greasy and having a weird mouth-feel. The flavors were spot on, though. It was just a consistency issue.  These candy bars are perfect if you are missing the not-so-vegan kind. I found them to be a bit over-sweet for me personally (even though I don't like bitter chocolate, I think there is a happy medium between the two extremes), but still pretty delicious. I am really impressed with how they can get the nougat and caramel so perfect. These are great if you miss milk chocolate, because they are made with rice milk chocolate!

Taza Chocolate - If you are looking for a chocolate that is unique, but still incredibly tasty, you definitely want to check Taza out.  I honestly was not sure what to expect. Sometimes I can find dark chocolate to be bitter or boring. This chocolate is neither. The packaging is creative, the texture is unique, and the flavor is great. It's not your dull old chocolate. This stuff has a delicious, almost fruity chocolate flavor and because of being stone ground, it has a grainier texture than most chocolate (but grainy in a good way!). There's really no way to describe it; you just have to try it for yourself. When I first read the flavors they didn't really excited me, but having tried it, I can see how things like Salt & Pepper and Guajillo Chili could really complement the unique method of processing.  I tried the Cinnamon (slight but not overpowering hint of cinnamon spice), Salted Almond (my favorite of the three I tried--nutty, delicious), and Vanilla Bean (fruity, not a very present vanilla flavor). This was so fun and different than I expected! I now want to try all the flavors! I also really appreciate the company's commitment to quality ingredients and ethical practices (you can learn more about these things by visiting their site). They are also 100% USDA certified organic!

Birdcrumbs - If you are looking for something quirky, original, and epicurean, check out this Etsy shop full of creative offerings. I sampled the: Raw Organic Lavender & Lemon Macaroons (My favorite of the three, these have a delicious fresh lemon flavor and an appealing but subtle hint of lavender. They are rich, but not too sweet and with just a pinch of salt to balance everything out. I didn't think I was a fan of lavender sweet treats, but these changed my mind!), the Organic Vegan Apple Maple Bacon Bits (Wow, really unique. Would be great on a salad), and the Organic Raw Apple Kale Pecan Bits (What a creative combination--a little sweet and a little savory. The kale is not overpowering.). As a bonus, this company has really cute packaging. The box I got was even wrapped up in brown paper, so it was like opening a present!

Vegan Delights - This is another great Etsy shop that makes vegan baked goods and candies. My favorite thing that I tried was the Chunky Monkey Cookies. These bite-sized cookies have the perfect texture--chewy but not gummy--and the combination of banana, walnuts, and chocolate chips is a definite winner (there is also peanut butter in them but I didn't really detect that). So good! I was worried that the banana would be over-powering, but it was not. I also tried a Gluten-Free and Raw Coconut Candy (this was different, but good. It was small--about the size of a large marble, buttery from the coconut, and very soft and fruity.), a Peanut Butter Corn Flakes Cookie (I loved this. I am a big peanut butter fan and that coupled with the crunchy flakes made for a delicious sweet treat.), and a Chocolate Granola Bomb (a chocolate-covered ball of granola. Definitely creative!). 

UliMana - Everything I've ever tried from this company has been really outstanding. I was recently blessed to sample the Goji Cherry Truffles (These were my favorite. They are soft and sweet like fudge inside, but crunchy from cacao nibs on the outside. The goji and cherries also make them a little chewy. YUM!),  Dark Cacao Raw Truffles (These were rich and dense with a wonderful deep chocolate flavor), Mayan Raw Truffles (I thought these were really unique. They are sweet from the cinnamon and spicy from a hint of cayenne!). Everything I tried was also raw, vegan, dairy free, organic, and agave sweetened. These truffles would make the perfect gift to pamper your favorite chocoholic! These were one of my favorite things mentioned in this post. 

 

Righteously Raw - These are not very sweet and I found the chocolate a little strong for my taste. My favorite was probably the Lucuma Caramel (fun filling), with the Maca (earthy with a slight saltiness) being a runner-up. The Goji had a little crunch from the seeds and it and the Acai was okay. I was not at all a fan of Maqui Rose. I wasn't really too crazy about any of these, but if you love really dark chocolate and enjoy trying exotic superfoods, then these are probably for you! These are certified organic, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO, include no refined sugars, and are made in a nut-free facility.

 

Coco Confections - The flavors and texture for these were spot on, and they are really pretty with cute packaging. However, I found them a bit lacking in sweetness. The chocolate isn't really bitter, though, it's just kind of a more "pure" chocolate taste. If you love things that aren't too sweet but are still healthy treats with terrific flavor, you will love these! I sampled the Coconut, Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Almond truffles. As an extra bonus: everything is organic! 
 

Hippie Cakes - Another great Etsy find. I love this business' motto: "Always vegan. Mostly organic. Definitely tasty." Hippie Cakes is 100% vegan, purchases most  ingredients from local retailers, and accommodates food allergies--including filling custom requests. I sampled the Peanut Butter Cups (Absolutely delicious! They were very good sized and had just a hint of pleasant crunch from the finely chopped homemade graham crackers. Note that they also make a gluten-free version.) and the beautiful Vegan Fruit Crèmes (These come in a variety of flavors. I sampled the cherry, coconut, banana, orange crème, and rootbeer. Each one was individually wrapped in a corresponding color of bright foil. The exterior was a rich chocolate shell and the filling was a very sweet fruity crème. I thought the rootbeer was such a fun flavor, and the banana reminded me of those Laffy Taffy candies...but I enjoyed them all! I didn't know what they would send me, so I think I kind of squealed a little when I opened the package and bit into one of the crèmes…and then again when I realized they were each a different flavor! It reminded me of those chocolate sampler trays that get passed around during the holidays. I wish I knew if they used natural colors and extracts, though.) The package as a whole was really fun to open. I know that I keep mentioning packaging--and maybe I'm the only one who notices stuff like that--but it's always fun to know what looks impressive if you are planning on giving it as a gift. These came wrapped up really prettily, and I could just tell that everything was made with love!

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I would also like to point out that three of the companies I reviewed today (Taza, UliMana and Righteously Raw) are on the Food Empowerment Project's list of chocolates they recommend. You can learn more about what that means here. 

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were sent to me free of charge for the purpose of reviewing on this blog. I received no monetary compensation.